Politics · Australia · 18 hrs ago
Australia plans legal action against five platforms over under-16s ban
Australia plans to take five major platforms to court over alleged breaches of its ban on social media accounts for under-16s.
The platforms are Facebook and Instagram, owned by Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube.
The law, in force since 2025, requires companies to take reasonable steps to prevent underage users from holding accounts.
A government report found most underage users could keep or create accounts, largely because age checks were ineffective.
The government has raised the maximum penalty for breaches to A$109.2 million.
The eSafety Commissioner now has stronger powers to gather evidence and is preparing a case for the Federal Court.
Australia plans legal action against five social media platforms over alleged breaches of its ban on accounts for under-16s.
Communications Minister Anika Wells said the eSafety Commissioner was using expanded powers to prepare a case for the Federal Court.
The platforms under investigation are Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube.
A report in July found that most underage users could keep or create accounts, largely because of ineffective age checks.
The government has doubled the maximum penalty for breaches to A$109.2 million.
- Who
- Australia’s government and the eSafety Commissioner are preparing legal action against Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube.
- What
- The government plans to sue the platforms for alleged failure to comply with the under-16 social media ban.
- When
- Wells described the planned action in an interview on Oct. 19; the articles were published on Oct. 20, 2026.
- Where
- Australia; the case is expected to go to the Federal Court.
- Why
- The platforms are alleged to have failed to take reasonable steps to stop under-16s from holding social media accounts.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Australia’s nationwide social media ban for under-16s came into force.
The eSafety Commissioner said it was investigating five platforms for potentially failing to comply with the law.
An eSafety report found that most underage users could keep or create accounts, largely because of ineffective age checks.
Wells said in a speech that firms were not doing enough to comply with social media age restrictions.
Wells said she expected legal action against the five platforms to proceed.
- Platforms under investigation
- Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube
- Maximum penalty
- A$109.2 million
- Court
- Federal Court
- Regulator
- eSafety Commissioner
- Interview date
- Oct. 19
3 sources
What people are saying
She’s now using those powers to prepare her case.
The law is not failing – platforms are failing to comply with the law.
We won’t flinch at holding tech companies to account.